Step Up Your Productivity Game With These 22 Efficient Apps

Let’s be honest: technology has given us a wide range of opportunities to stay idle and procrastinate. Distractions are everywhere and sometimes you can’t fight the urge to give into them. At the same time, our routine is more hectic than ever and requires us to somehow classify all those daily tasks.

Otherwise we just won’t cope with the workload.

Being productive hits the nail on the head.

You not only get rid of the dreaded idle habits, but also approach your to-do lists in a systematical, efficient way.

Here is my list of 22 productivity apps that will bring order to your life.

People label Evernote as a kind of a digital notebook. The app stores everything you throw its way: photos, notes, PDF files, even audio clips or to-do lists. You can search its database freely so you can check yesterday’s note that you have somehow forgotten. A great tool that will make sure you always remember the things that matter.

Few other things can be as demanding as the modern day email inbox. Mailbox redesigns your inbox, making it way simpler, and lets you navigate through it by simple gesturing. You can scan conversations or “snooze” emails – which means that they will be sent to the top of your inbox at a time you have set. Optimized email management means more time spent on doing other things.

Sunrise is an effective calendar app that supports Google Calendars, as well as iCloud and Exchange. You can add events with unmatched haste, but what is really neat here is that the app pulls data directly from LinkedIn. In other words, you can see the profile of the people you’re meeting with. Comfortable and visual, isn’t it?

There’s a reason Slack is one of the most widely used apps out there. Think of it as something like a chat client with the opportunity to create your slick multiple channels to discuss business matters with your team. You can tag users and Slack will always notify you whenever there is something new happening. In other words, the software makes team management a complete breeze!

Another app giant, Trello consists of “boards” that you create. These boards can include anything you want – from checklists to notes, photos or videos. The idea is to organize your current tasks in a logical, simple way, so you can accomplish them easier. You also have the opportunity to invite colleagues or friends. Trello systematizes your daily tasks and helps you get more efficient in your communication.

Do you hate typing for longer periods of time? TextExpander Touch cuts on that by helping you type faster on Apple devices (iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch). Its approach is simple – the app uses short abbreviations that expand into longer snippets. You can compose notes and then export them to your mail client or even Twitter. And, of course, you don’t have to type so much!

Dropbox is a favorite of mine. It can be best described as a virtual folder that is stored locally, yet shareable globally throughout all your devices. You need to just drag and drop files and then it’s up to you – you can either keep them to yourself, or store them in a public folder and easily share links to other people. Dropbox is structured pretty neatly and can serve as both storage or file management assistant.

Do you struggle to remember when is the time of the day when you’re actually free? Free-Time fetches your calendar data and tells you your availability. You can then let your clients or friends know by one-click auto-formatted emails or text messages. No matter how cluttered your schedule is, Free-Time will make sure you stay in line with your rest hours.

Have you longed for having some kind of assistance for all those ultra busy days? YouMail has heard your cries for help. It’s a visual voice-mail and assistant app that can reply by text, auto-forward calls or even block or re-route them. In addition, YouMail also has transcription services in its portfolio of your own digital sidekick. Great to have all of these tasks off your shoulders!

Sometimes all you need is someone who forces you to do something – especially errands that you are a bit reluctant to get involved with. Any.Do is a smart app that literally forces you to look at your to-do list and get things done. At the start of each day you can set which tasks you want to complete, while delegating others or even putting off some. But you will definitely get things done, because Any.Do will be right there with a stern digital look on its interface.

Clear has a very fitting name, because its purpose as an app is pretty straightforward. It lets you create to-do lists that are simple, clean, and effective. A totally distraction-free environment, Clear will have you setup your goals and remind you that you have to remember striving to accomplish them. If you’re into straight-to-the-point type of apps, then this is your best digital friend.

Once again we’re back on the topic of email inboxes. If you’re the same as me, you get bombarded with spam and junk mail on a daily basis. PaperKarma destroys spammers by stopping the delivery process of any junk mail. You just need to photograph any spam you receive, and the app will contact the sender to let him know one thing: you don’t want to be bothered. PaperKarma is not only time-saving, but also cuts on your daily email frustration.

You have surely heard of the “carrot and stick” approach. The Carrot app takes its name directly from this, as it punishes you every time you procrastinate. Alternatively, when you are productive and work on a task, you get points that can be used to redeem prizes. Carrot is a great game-based approach to getting yourself motivated to stop procrastinating…while winning gifts!

Rapportive is a tidy app that shows detailed information about your contacts right inside your email inbox. This includes photos, current location, their LinkedIn details (if applicable) and many other bits of data. It’s like an all-in-one information tool that saves you the hassle of navigating away from your inbox.

CamScanner lets you scan and store various things – from receipts to notes to invoices, or even business cards. Afterwards you can sync them across your devices so they are always at your disposal. Additionally, CamScanner lets you crop or enhance the scanned content to improve the quality of the scanned images. A good organizer for important visual content.

I’m pretty sure you have a lot of “I have to read/watch that later” moments. Pocket comes in handy in these situations as it saves articles, videos or other content so you can view them later. The app has a very clean interface that lets you focus on the information without distractions. You can also share everything to other platforms such as Facebook, Twitter or Evernote.

How much time do you spend on time-wasting websites? Chances are it’s way more than you actually expected. StayFocusd puts a barrier on your procrastinating habits by limiting the amount of time you can spent on time-wasters. You have a fixed amount of daily time allotted to free browsing. Once you go over the limit…those websites will be blocked for the day, forcing you to focus on what’s important.

This app is based on the highly effective Pomodoro Technique. It lets you work on fixed sessions that are later automatically saved to a timesheet, bundled up with a report. Utilizing Focus Booster’s statistics, you can analyze your activity and see how you actually spend your worktime.

Zapier is reserved for entrepeneurs. It cuts on your daily time of re-entering data from Shopify to other apps integral to your business. You can transfer data to many other apps such as MailChimp, SalesForce or HipChat. Less time for data entry, more time for actual business.

What do your daily Internet habits look like? Rescue Time provides an answer by running in the background and tracking the time you spend on various apps or websites. You can later use the gathered reports to improve your productivity and establish systematical daily habits with less distractions.

How do your email subscriptions fare? Unroll.me is an email management app that takes care of your subscriptions and lists them so you can easily configure them. You can instantly unsubscribe or enjoy the app Rollup feature: a daily digest of your subscriptions, delivered whenever you want them.

Once again on the topic of receipts, bills and business cards, ShoeBoxed is the perfect app to fetch and store documents. You just need to scan the document in mind and the software will sort it and put it into your own secure online account. You can then export the database to services like Excel, Evernote, Xero or invoice apps like Wave.

Each and every one of these apps will help you become more productive throughout your daily tasks. And as I mentioned before, this means you get the benefits of a sense of fulfillment, increased self-esteem and improved communication with others around you.

Remember: Being efficient means living a better life overall.

NOW YOUR TURN: Do you use any of the apps listed here on a regular basis? What is your experience in using them to improve your productivity? You might also use an app that I haven’t mentioned in the article. If the case is such, let me – and the other readers, know!

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Who is Omar Hamada

Omar Hamada is on a personal crusade against the mundane - his life passions shaped by an innate fervor to see the oppressed liberated through changed hearts and minds. The ultimate aim is lives transformed for the sake of the Kingdom of Christ.